West Side residents sue Stamford over proposed public housing

Published 3:56 am, Tuesday, September 1, 2009

STAMFORD -- Opponents of a city housing authority development on the West Side have filed a lawsuit against the Zoning Board.

Four West Side property owners are suing the board, Charter Oak Communities -- the city housing authority -- and Stamford Hospital, according to Robert Fuller, an attorney for the plaintiffs. The lawsuit contends the board did not adequately consider traffic issues before approving the project at 26 Palmers Hill Road, Fuller said.

The development is part of a housing authority plan to replace 216 low-income, high-rise public housing units at the Vidal Court complex with 350 units of low-rise, or townhouse-style apartments spread across the West Side. Opponents have argued the development would aggravate existing traffic problems along Palmers Hill Road, Stillwater Avenue and Westover Road.

Charter Oak Executive Director Vincent Tufo has argued it would actually reduce traffic on those streets in comparison to the site's former use as a rehabilitation clinic for Stamford Hospital. Such a reduction would be possible because the proposed development eliminates outlets onto Palmers Hill Road and Stillwater Avenue, directing traffic instead onto Connecticut Avenue. Charter Oak commissioned a traffic study by an independent engineer that confirmed the mitigating effect, Tufo said.

On Monday, a Board of Representatives committee delayed a decision on whether to grant the project a 100 percent property tax break on its proposed 51 below-market-rate units. The delay came after nine West Side residents spoke against tax abatement for the project at the Legislative and Rules Committee meeting. No one spoke in favor of the abatement.

After hearing the comments, the committee voted to postpone a decision until next month. Board of Representatives members cited the lawsuit and its unknown outcome as one reason to postpone a decision.

Under the tax abatement agreement, Charter Oak would pay the city 10 percent of shelter rent received for the project's below-market rate units in exchange for abatement of 100 percent of property taxes assessed on those units. Shelter rent equals the total rents received from occupants, minus the cost of electricity, gas, heat, and other utilities.

Neighbors again raised traffic concerns at the committee meeting Monday, but also argued the development will put strain on city services, including schools and police and fire departments. The residents said it would be unfair to add to the burden on city services without collecting taxes on the property to fund such services.

"There are a lot of resources this development is going to use and you have to set the tax rate appropriate for that," Jeff Jonas, a Havemeyer Lane resident said.

Sybil Richards, deputy corporation counsel for the city, told the committee the city would not lose taxes under the agreement because the property had already had tax abatement under its former owner, Stamford Hospital.

The hospital recently swapped the tract in an exchange with Charter Oak Communities. In return for the land, the hospital obtained a portion of Charter Oak's property along Merrell Avenue that now houses the Vidal Court complex.

Staff Writer Magdalene Perez can be reached at 203-964-2240 or magdalene.perez@scni.com.